Patents by Inventor Tomofumi HIRUKAWA
Tomofumi HIRUKAWA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11817571Abstract: A method for producing an electrode sheet includes a first feeding process, a roll press process, and a second feeding process, which are performed in this order. At least one of a first tension per unit area obtained by dividing a tension applied to the electrode sheet in a longitudinal direction in the first feeding process by a cross-sectional area of the electrode sheet being fed in the first feeding process and a second tension per unit area obtained by dividing a tension applied to the electrode sheet in a longitudinal direction in the second feeding process by a cross-sectional area of the electrode sheet being fed in the second feeding process is 5.0 MPa or less.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2021Date of Patent: November 14, 2023Assignee: PRIME PLANET ENERGY & SOLUTIONS, INC.Inventors: Kota Nakamura, Tomofumi Hirukawa
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Publication number: 20230223513Abstract: A manufacturing apparatus for an electrode plate includes: a conveyance line of the electrode plate having an applied portion in which an electrode active material is applied to a surface of a base material and a non-applied portion in which the electrode active material is not applied to the surface of the base material; a compression roll provided in the conveyance line and compressing the applied portion; and a tension reducing mechanism provided in at least one of an upstream section ending at the compression roll or a downstream section starting at the compression roll in the conveyance line and reducing a tension applied to the electrode plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2021Publication date: July 13, 2023Inventors: Tetsumasa MARUO, Tomofumi HIRUKAWA
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Publication number: 20230079146Abstract: A main object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for producing an electrode of which uncoated part can stretch while inhibiting breakage.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2022Publication date: March 16, 2023Inventors: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Kengo HAGA
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Publication number: 20220293901Abstract: A roll press apparatus includes a first press roll and a second press roll. The first press roll includes a first contact part configured to contact an active material portion of a strip-shaped electrode sheet and a second contact part configured to contact an active-material absent portion of the strip-shaped electrode sheet. The second contact part has a large frictional-force generating form that causes a larger frictional force to be generated between the second contact part and the active-material absent portion of the strip-shaped electrode sheet than an imaginary frictional force which would be generated if the active-material absent portion of the strip-shaped electrode sheet were made to contact the first contact part.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2022Publication date: September 15, 2022Inventors: Kengo HAGA, Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Kota NAKAMURA, Tomoya SUZUKI, Hideji NAITO, Yoshihide ENOMOTO
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Publication number: 20220293911Abstract: A roll press apparatus forms a compressed strip-shaped electrode plate by roll-pressing a strip-shaped electrode plate including an active material portion and an active material absent portion and including a tensile-force-ratio adjustment mechanism adjusting a tensile force ratio of an upstream active material absent portion tensile force applied to an upstream side and a downstream active material absent portion tensile force applied to a downstream side of an inter-roll active material absent portion held in a non-compressed state between a pair of press rolls in an active material absent portion of the strip-shaped electrode plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2022Publication date: September 15, 2022Applicants: PRIME PLANET ENERGY & SOLUTIONS, INC., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kengo HAGA, Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Kota NAKAMURA, Tomoya SUZUKI, Hideji NAITO, Yoshihide ENOMOTO
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Publication number: 20220285663Abstract: A roll press apparatus for producing a compressed strip-shaped electrode sheet from a strip-shaped electrode sheet including an active material portion and an active-material absent portion is provided with a pair of press rolls arranged in parallel with a roll gap and configured to roll-press the strip-shaped electrode sheet being conveyed in a longitudinal direction for compression to form a compressed active material layer, and an active-material-absent-portion stretching unit arranged upstream of the press rolls and configured to stretch the active-material absent portion of the strip-shaped electrode sheet in the longitudinal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2022Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Tetsumasa MARUO, Kengo HAGA, Kota NAKAMURA
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Publication number: 20220263139Abstract: The manufacturing method herein disclosed includes a forming step of stacking a positive electrode sheet including a positive electrode active material layer on a positive electrode collector, a negative electrode sheet including a negative electrode active material layer on a negative electrode collector, and a separator sheet, thereby forming an electrode body; a constructing step of accommodating the electrode body in a battery case, and pouring an electrolyte into the battery case, thereby constructing a battery assembly; and a charging step of charging the battery assembly. At least any one of the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer has an undulating shape in a stacking direction, and a pit depth of the undulation is 10 ?m or more.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2022Publication date: August 18, 2022Inventor: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA
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Publication number: 20220209212Abstract: The electrode production method disclosed herein has the steps of: preparing an electrode mix paste that contains at least an active material and a solvent; applying the electrode mix paste onto the surface of a collector; and drying a coating film made up of the electrode mix paste applied on the collector. The step of drying includes a residual heat period, a constant rate drying period, and a falling rate drying period. The coating film is pressed at least one time in the falling rate drying period, and the pressing is carried out under conditions such that film thickness of the coating film is not lower than 80% relative to 100% as the film thickness prior to the pressing.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2021Publication date: June 30, 2022Inventor: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA
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Publication number: 20220109137Abstract: A method for producing an electrode sheet includes a first feeding process, a roll press process, and a second feeding process, which are performed in this order. At least one of a first tension per unit area obtained by dividing a tension applied to the electrode sheet in a longitudinal direction in the first feeding process by a cross-sectional area of the electrode sheet being fed in the first feeding process and a second tension per unit area obtained by dividing a tension applied to the electrode sheet in a longitudinal direction in the second feeding process by a cross-sectional area of the electrode sheet being fed in the second feeding process is 5.0 MPa or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Kota NAKAMURA, Tomofumi HIRUKAWA
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Patent number: 11211597Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electrode belt that includes pressing a belt-shaped current collector foil with an electrode mixture layer along a longitudinal direction in a thickness direction of the electrode mixture layer so that the electrode mixture layer is formed on a part of the current collector foil, and stretching, by a stretching roll, a non-forming part of the current collector foil in which the electrode mixture layer is not formed and in which the current collector foil is exposed in respective ends in a width direction. The stretching roll includes a first roll opposed to the electrode mixture layer, and a pair of second rolls arranged in respective ends of the first roll in an axial direction and opposed to the non-forming part. A central axis of the first roll is deviated with respect to a central axis of the pair of second rolls.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2021Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomofumi Hirukawa, Keisuke Takano
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Patent number: 11094920Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a belt-like electrode including: a pair of press rolls configured to press a belt-like current collector foil with an electrode mixture layer along a longitudinal direction in a thickness direction of the electrode mixture layer; and a stretching roll configured to stretch a non-forming part which is the current collector foil without the electrode mixture layer in respective ends in a width direction is provided. The stretching roll includes: a first roll opposed to the electrode mixture layer formed in the current collector foil; and a pair of second rolls arranged in respective ends of the first roll in an axial direction and opposed to the non-forming part, and a central axis of the first roll is deviated with respect to a central axis of the pair of second rolls in a direction away from the stretched current collector foil.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2018Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomofumi Hirukawa, Keisuke Takano
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Publication number: 20210249644Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a belt-like electrode including: a pair of press rolls configured to press a belt-like current collector foil with an electrode mixture layer along a longitudinal direction in a thickness direction of the electrode mixture layer; and a stretching roll configured to stretch a non-forming part which is the current collector foil without the electrode mixture layer in respective ends in a width direction is provided. The stretching roll includes: a first roll opposed to the electrode mixture layer formed in the current collector foil; and a pair of second rolls arranged in respective ends of the first roll in an axial direction and opposed to the non-forming part, and a central axis of the first roll is deviated with respect to a central axis of the pair of second rolls in a direction away from the stretched current collector foil.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2021Publication date: August 12, 2021Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Keisuke TAKANO
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Patent number: 10998541Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electrode sheet including an electrode layer on both surfaces of a current collecting foil includes: feeding out an original electrode sheet including an unfinished electrode layer on each surface of the foil from a feeding part; causing a press roll pair to contact with the original sheet fed out to form the unfinished layers into electrode layers; receiving the sheet having passed through the roll pair by a sheet receiving part; and rotating rolls of the roll pair in a feeding direction. The feeding part, roll pair, and receiving part are placed such that the original sheet and the electrode sheet are to be wound on one of the rolls. The rolls are rotated such that a moving speed of cylindrical surface of one roll placed in a position where the sheets are wound thereon is higher than that of the other roll.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2019Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomofumi Hirukawa
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Patent number: 10673061Abstract: A method includes performing roll pressing such that a first electrode mixture layer and a second electrode mixture layer are compressed in a thickness direction of the first electrode mixture layer and the second electrode mixture layer by passing an electrode sheet through a gap between a seventh roll and an eighth roll facing each other and rotating. When performing the roll pressing, T7 as a surface temperature of the seventh roll disposed on the first electrode mixture layer side and contacting the first electrode mixture layer and T8 as a surface temperature of the eighth roll disposed on the second electrode mixture layer side and contacting the second electrode mixture layer satisfy a relationship of T7<T8.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2018Date of Patent: June 2, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomofumi Hirukawa
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Publication number: 20190296322Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electrode sheet including an electrode layer on both surfaces of a current collecting foil includes: feeding out an original electrode sheet including an unfinished electrode layer on each surface of the foil from a feeding part; causing a press roll pair to contact with the original sheet fed out to form the unfinished layers into electrode layers; receiving the sheet having passed through the roll pair by a sheet receiving part; and rotating rolls of the roll pair in a feeding direction. The feeding part, roll pair, and receiving part are placed such that the original sheet and the electrode sheet are to be wound on one of the rolls. The rolls are rotated such that a moving speed of cylindrical surface of one roll placed in a position where the sheets are wound thereon is higher than that of the other roll.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 15, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomofumi Hirukawa
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Publication number: 20190131614Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a belt-like electrode including: a pair of press rolls configured to press a belt-like current collector foil with an electrode mixture layer along a longitudinal direction in a thickness direction of the electrode mixture layer; and a stretching roll configured to stretch a non-forming part which is the current collector foil without the electrode mixture layer in respective ends in a width direction is provided. The stretching roll includes: a first roll opposed to the electrode mixture layer formed in the current collector foil; and a pair of second rolls arranged in respective ends of the first roll in an axial direction and opposed to the non-forming part, and a central axis of the first roll is deviated with respect to a central axis of the pair of second rolls in a direction away from the stretched current collector foil.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2018Publication date: May 2, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA, Keisuke TAKANO
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Publication number: 20190036104Abstract: A method includes performing roll pressing such that a first electrode mixture layer and a second electrode mixture layer are compressed in a thickness direction of the first electrode mixture layer and the second electrode mixture layer by passing an electrode sheet through a gap between a seventh roll and an eighth roll facing each other and rotating. When performing the roll pressing, T7 as a surface temperature of the seventh roll disposed on the first electrode mixture layer side and contacting the first electrode mixture layer and T8 as a surface temperature of the eighth roll disposed on the second electrode mixture layer side and contacting the second electrode mixture layer satisfy a relationship of T7<T8.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2018Publication date: January 31, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomofumi HIRUKAWA